With summer winding down, hopefully library staff and volunteers can take some time to rest and reflect on this year's accomplishments so far, and to make time to refuel or brush up on new skills. August brings new learning opportunities in these 46 webinars on topics that are relevant to the important and impactful work happening in libraries. This list, provided by Jamie Markus at the Wyoming State Library, comes out every month and is regularly updated on the Free Training page, where you can also view the offerings by topic.

For additional training, check out the WebJunction Catalog,...
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Organic. Infectious. Creative. Intentional. These are some of the words we’ve heard participants and partners alike use to describe Supercharged Storytimes ―the empowering approach to storytime planning and delivery established by the Project VIEWS2 research team.

In the first pilot of OCLC’s Supercharged Storytimes program, over 80 library storytime practitioners in Washington State recently completed a multi-week online orientation to the early literacy concepts, tools, and tips sheets produced by the Project VIEWS2 team. Now public library staff in five additional states will have the opportunity to participate in this program in the fall of 2015. The following state...
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We were thrilled to hear from three libraries who have been following our Social Library series who asked that we share, with you, their wonderful examples of outreach. So in Social Library, Volume 23 we're pleased to be showcasing our first set of library-submitted submissions! From tech assistance to unlikely spokesperson, these libraries are going the extra mile, in serving their communities, AND in sharing their great work with the WebJunction community. Thank you!

The Patrick Heath Public Library in Boerne, Texas shared some info about the weekly tech assistance they offer to patrons on a walk-in basis. "Alicia...
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Last month, Bucks County Free Library began offering Start from Scratch, a new program aimed at helping members of the public connect to the digital world.

During Start from Scratch sessions, patrons bring their "mostly dead" PCs to a Bucks County Free Library (BCFL) branch, where staff members bring the computers "back to life" by installing preconfigured open source software. Patrons who can't attend a Start from Scratch session can download the software directly from our website and install it themselves.

The impetus for this program was BCFL's strategic plan. We believe that libraries today are where people get access...
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Sound familiar? This popular adage is excellent shorthand for public library evangelists to frame conversations that are essential to building relationships and getting people invested in the modern mission of public libraries. Community health advocates employ a similar turn of phrase in promoting individual and community wellness: "Health is more than healthcare."

We recently had an opportunity to explore this concept in detail in a recent WebJunction webinar focused on Launching Community Conversations with Local Health Data.

Offered as part of our Health Happens in Libraries program, participants heard from panelists...
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